1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to personal sound amplification devices for use by hearing impaired persons, and more particularly relates to personal sound amplification devices having Bluetooth™ functionality.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Conventional personal sound amplifiers (“PSAs”), including hearing aids, do not have integrated Bluetooth™ radios. The integration of Bluetooth™ radios into PSAs has been problematic due to battery power consumption, output sound interference, and the space required to incorporate a Bluetooth™ circuit within a hearing aid housing also having the PSA circuit. To utilize Bluetooth™ technology, conventional PSA designs resort to utilizing a pendant unit worn by the user as a frequency convertor between the PSA device and Bluetooth™ quipped electronic devices, such as smart phones, the Apple iPad™/iPhone™ devices, and Blackberry™ devices. The pendant unit converts the 2.4 GHz Bluetooth™ frequency into lower frequencies to avoid interference with the integrated circuitry within the PSA (hearing aid), and consumes less battery power. This pendant unit provides the additional internal space needed for housing a relatively large battery to power the frequency convertor circuitry, and a relatively large antenna. However, to utilize the Bluetooth™ capabilities, consumers must inconveniently wear the pendant unit along with the PSA. Conventional pendant units have significantly limited transmission ranges and signal loss problems. Accordingly, the user must wear this separate pendant unit having a larger battery and a larger antenna.